Amongst Monsters
by hidingunderblankets
Summary: "Yeah, us two with that dumb blonde in the UnderWorld. It sounds fun, I know." [Ongoing series, requests welcome] Ch. 2- Sometimes life blows up in your face. [Just a rewrite of the deleted Backfire since it fits]
1. Zalvie

UnderWorld City. Outside an inn.

Two Chaotic players sat on a row of barrels. The first, a small boy with olive skin, dark hair and eyes, wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, read a book with his head held up by his arm. He turned to a new page in the story. Beside him sat a teenage girl, with light skin, long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a pair of ear piercings. She messaged someone on her scanner with a smile on her face. The two sat in silence.

The boy's head turned to the left as he heard panting from down the street. Running towards them was a tall young man with dark skin and eyes, hair in shoulder-length dreads, and a thin beard. His worn sneakers flapped against the ground as he looked behind him. He looked forward and saw the boy and girl on the barrels.

He turned towards them as a group of guards in red armor raced down the street as well. The adolescent stopped before them, opening the lid to a barrel in between the other two players. He noticed the guards and gasped.

"Oh crap!" he yelled as he hopped into the barrel. Through a hole in it he peeped through. The guards approached the boy and girl, who both looked up at creatures as they stared them down.

"Oh hello officers!" the girl greeted them kindly.

"Is there something you need?" the boy asked dully, raising an eyebrow.

"We're looking for a Chaotic player. About yay high, dark skin, wearing a green jacket?" one of the guards explained.

"Have you seen him?" a second guard asked.

"Hmm..." the boy hummed as he looked to his right, noticing a large arena in the distance. He grinned as he turned to the guards, pointing. "Once I think about it, I recall seeing someone like the man you described in the Colosseum. I just came back from there and it looked like he was trying to find a hiding spot."

The guards looked at each other before turning to the Colosseum. They ran for the structure without a word. Both the boy and the girl watched them leave as the player in the barrels poked his head from out of the one he hid in.

"Phew, thanks DJ," he complimented the other boy, DJ, as he sighed in relief. He hopped out of the barrel and placed the lid back where it belonged.

"No problem," DJ said as he dug a bookmark between the pages of his book and closed it. "So what was it this time?"

"Trespassing," the older boy answered as he pulled out his scanner from his pocket and activated it.

"Nice," DJ commented sarcastically as he cleaned his glasses with a rag. "You might just break your monthly record."

The blonde looked at the other boy.

"Hey Alex," she greeted.

"Hey Cynthia," Alex greeted back to the girl, Cynthia, as he turned to her and put his scanner back.

DJ hopped off his barrel as he put his glasses back on. "Alright so where are we off to? Or are we going to have to take this out of the UnderWorld, considering what just happened?" he asked Alex and Cynthia, who both towered over the dwarfish boy.

"Eh I think we'll be fine," Alex assured them. "This place is too big for us to run into them."

DJ rose another brow before shrugging his shoulders. "If you say so."

"Anyway," Alex began as he walked into the middle of the street. He scanned the signs of the buildings around them and noticed the one for the building DJ and Cynthia stood in front of. "Why don't we just chill out right here at the Inn?"

"You can't be serious, this place?" DJ criticized as he pointed at the building. "What could we possibly do in here?"

"Uh," Alex thought as he looked around. His eyes flew around until they landed on Cynthia, who stood up herself. "Oh, I know. Maybe we could see Zalvar? I think he stops by here a lot."

Cynthia's face lit up with excitement. "Oh my gosh, you're right! He does come here a lot!"

"Zalvar who – oh right, Cynthia's pet," DJ mumbled to himself as his memory jogged. He exhaled. "Well I guess if it makes her happy. I honestly don't care."

"Okay then," said Alex. Rushing over to him, Cynthia grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door of the Inn. "Whoa."

"Come on!" she said cheerfully. As she and Alex ran inside, DJ simply walked behind them as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and rolled his eyes.

The trio of humans entered the Inn. Inside the room only lit by torches on the walls, tables lay scattered around with creatures feasting. Chatter filled the Inn along with the scent of meats and ale.

The players looked around the Inn, unnoticed by the creatures as they kept their backs turned. DJ followed Alex and Cynthia from a distance, his hands reaching into his pocket and removing his book. He read its title – _Never Let Me Go_. He skimmed the Inn again.

"Maybe if there's an empty table around here..." he said. Before he continued, a gasp from Cynthia caught his attention. He looked forward and found her and Alex, halted in the middle of the aisle they stood in.

Alex and Cynthia focused on a table not too far from them. Within the cramped group of creatures, seated in between a line of them, they spotted a creature – a thin, canine beast with crimson eyes and blue fur. He laughed maniacally as he pounded on the table and ran his hand through his mane.

"There he is!" Cynthia told Alex, overcome with excitement.

"Yeah that looks like him," Alex said, tilting slightly to the side.

Cynthia ran for the table with Alex following her. DJ did not move, but rather watched them. The two walked around the huddled creatures who burst in laughter.

"And guess what happened next?" the blue creature, Zalvar, asked the others as he leaned in with a devilish smile on his muzzle. "He went and did it." Him and the rest of the table laughed again, mugs falling on their sides and the table shaking. From behind Zalvar, Cynthia and Alex approached him. Cynthia stared at the creature before calling his name and embracing him. Zalvar's arms spread as he looked over his shoulder and saw Cynthia and Alex.

"Hey Zalvie!" Cynthia greeted him.

"What the – what are you doing here!?" he asked with wide eyes. The creatures around him, and at nearby tables, noticed them and giggled.

Cynthia faced Zalvar with a smile. "Me and my friends just decided to drop by," she answered as she hugged him again.

"Well did you have to bother me right now?" Zalvar asked angrily. The laughter picked up and the creature noticed it. Behind him, Alex smiled and chuckled lightly.

Zalvar growled at Cynthia, who paid it no mind. His hands nearly grasped her, but froze from just inches away. He struggled for a moment before giving up and moaning. His hands covered his face as me mumbled. Teasing comments aimed at Zalvar and Cynthia went around, most containing the word "Zalvie" in them.

"You're always around at the worst of times," he told her through gritted, sharp teeth.

From afar, DJ watched the hilarity unfold. With an unchanged face he looked to the right and found an empty table in a dark corner, far away from the madness.

"Well what do you know," he told himself. He turned for the table and walked over to it.

Taking a seat, he took a breath as he opened his book to the page he left off at. He held it up and resumed reading.

"Well look who decided to take a seat over here," a deep voice said. DJ shot up and looked to his right, finding a second person seated at the end of the table. Partly visible in the torch-light sat a massive, bulky minotaur with orange skin, blue hair and silver horns. His green eyes focused on DJ as he held a cup in his large hand, grinning.

DJ's surprised expression returned to his normal one. "Oh, it's just you," he said as he returned to his book. The creature stared at him as he sat his drink down.

"So what brings you back here, D?" the Perimian asked DJ.

"Eh, it was Alex's idea," he answered.

The minotaur looked over at Zalvar's table, where Cynthia sat next to him and chatted with the other creatures. They howled in laughter as Zalvar groaned with a palm covering his face.

"Looks like your friend's having fun," he told DJ, who turned to another page.

"Yeah she can't resist her little pet Zalvie," DJ threw in.

"How did they meet anyway?"

"Some racer flew by us one day and got mud all over her. She fell down and bumped into Zalvar and he helped her up. Next thing you know she has him on the ground because she found the 'cutest thing in the world'."

"What exactly makes Zalvar cute?"

"Beats me."

The minotaur shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed his drink and took a sip.

At Zalvar's table, Alex looked off and noticed DJ and the other creature. He stared at them curiously before looking back at the occupied Cynthia and friends.

DJ and the minotaur sat in silence. The creature sat his cup down and noticed Alex as he took a seat next to DJ, who kept his nose buried in his book.

"Hey," Alex said as he looked over at the minotaur. "Uh, is that?"

"Rothar?" DJ answered for him. "Yeah."

"And you're Alex, right?" the minotaur, Rothar, asked Alex.

"Um, yes," the human replied.

"Yeah I've seen you around before," Rothar said as he drank from his cup again. "You're the guy that's always getting chased by our soldiers."

"Yeah, well, mostly for trespassing. I just use shortcuts a lot," Alex told Rothar. The beast leaned back in his chair.

"You're pretty bad at sneaking around it seems," he assumed. Alex did not respond as he looked at DJ. "Your friend over there seems to be getting around well though."

"Yeah she's living the dream of every second Chaotic fanfic writer," DJ commented lowly. Rothar looked at the boy with narrowed eyes.

"Fanfic?" he asked. DJ rose his head.

"Just don't ask," he dismissed as he continued reading. Both pairs of eyes at the table went on him for a moment.

"So how long do you think we'll be here?" Alex asked DJ.

"Considering it's Cynthia, if we wait for her, probably a while," DJ estimated.

"A while you say?" Rothar chimed in. "Better get comfortable."

"Well we could just leave without her. I mean, she can take care of herself," DJ added.

Alex looked behind Rothar and noticed a large ax leaning against the wall. Rothar found him looking and grinned.

"What, impressed?" he asked as he picked it up with both hands. "Yeah, this is mine."

"Do you battle at the Colosseum a lot?" Alex asked.

"A lot of people try to mess with me. They shouldn't be though, after all I am Chaor's best," Rothar bragged as he twirled his ax with a hand.

"Yeah I think I've seen you down there a lot," Alex said. Rothar chuckled.

"Well I'm heading there here soon. How about you pay a visit and watch me?" Rothar asked.

"Uh," Alex said. "Well I'm sorry but –"

"He was being chased by some guards and we threw them off to the Colosseum," DJ filled Rothar in.

"Uh, what he said," Alex confirmed as his voice lowered and he looked down at the table.

"Oh I see," Rothar understood. "You don't have to worry about getting caught."

Alex shot up. "I won't?"

"Not on my watch. If they try anything I'll just get Chaor to shoo them off. I have connections with him, trust me."

"Well... if I won't get busted then... sure," Alex agreed.

"Wait a minute why are you acting all friendly to him?" asked DJ as he broke into the conversation.

Rothar smirked as he placed with weapon back on the wall and stood up with his cup. "Because he's not as boring as you are. Hey Akkathar, grab me another drink!"

DJ closed his book with both hands. "Actually, you have room for one more? I can tell you for sure I'm not 'boring'." He turned around. "Hey Cynthia me and Alex are leaving soon."

Rothar grinned at DJ.

"Gotcha."


	2. Backfire

Rothar's eyes slowly opened as he awoke from slumber. The bull found himself trapped inside four stone walls – walls of a cell. He tried to rise, but stopped halfway and fell back down again. The creature looked down at his limbs and found cuffs on his ankles and wrists. He looked at the wall behind him and found chains attached to it.

"Welp," he told himself, "I'm in here again."

His sight remained focused on nothing for a time until he heard ambient steps. Slowly, his head turned to the thick steel door with a window cut through it, either side of it barred over. The walking noises became louder and louder as he saw a shadow floating across the wall of what laid outside the room. It inched closer as the steps became more clearer.

Eventually it reached the other side of the door. A second pair of feet, creating a louder step compared to the softer ones of the first pair, caught the ears of the bull. His pointed ears rose as someone's back partially blocked the window.

"Do you have permission to be here?" he asked in an adult voice.

"I have the password," answered a younger and tamer voice. The voice belonged to DJ.

"Is that so? Say it," the deeper voice demanded.

"Exiar Trandum," DJ said. Both paused.

"You are allowed access until I say your time is up," the deeper voice granted as he turned around, his head facing downward. The bull gazed as jingling sounds filled the silence.

The door opened and the owner of the deeper voice, a guard, stepped aside for DJ. Rothar found him in the doorway, shaded except for a reflection of light bouncing away over his eyes. The bull's eyes widened just slightly.

The boy walked towards him and entered the chamber. The door closed behind him as he vanished in the lacking light of the room, the only source a small lantern hung high upon the wall. He appeared again, this time without the darkness disguising him.

His eyes closed as he sighed. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a finger.

"Hey I warned you. But would you listen? No, just have to charge into the hideout and start slicing everything," he told Rothar. "Apparently it backfired on you. How long are you in here?"

Rothar got comfortable in his position. "Don't know yet."

DJ rose a brow. "You act like you come here a lot."

"I do," Rothar confirmed, "but it's no big deal. Chaor always bails me out."

DJ crossed his arms as his face became dull. "Special treatment?" Rothar placed his hands under his head and in between the bricks.

"Having connections gets you things in the UnderWorld."

DJ's focus shifted away to his right.

"I bet you two are gonna laugh it up with a cup of ale when he comes to get you out," he said sarcastically.

"So why'd you come?" Rothar asked, eyes shut and a smile on his face. DJ sighed.

"Honestly I was going to rub your failure in your face, but seeing as you regret nothing, it looks like this was a waste of time. By the way, Alex found your ax in a sewer pipe. I'm not cleaning it for anything."


End file.
